Dietary selection is important to assure the balance of nutrients for energy, growth,
maintenance, and reproduction. The innate response of an animal is to avoid eating
plants with toxic secondary metabolites, but these properties can be medicinal when
ingested in appropriate amounts. It is proposed that under physical conditions that
require direct intervention (health maintenance or self-medication), animals ingest
even such toxic plants for their medicinal benefits to regain health homeostasis.
Previous studies on primate plant food selection have found that 15~25% of the items
in their diet could be classified as ‘medicinal food’ (plants with bioactive, physiology
modifying properties). Here we focus on identifying prospective medicinal foods in
the diet, in order to investigate the potential properties and possible roles of such
items for a wild group of Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, Anhui
Province, China. Using a 50 species food list of this group, a pharmacological database
search was conducted. We identified 12 species (24%) with significant pharmacological
potential. Across the 12-month study, medicinal foods accounted for 18~23% of the
total diet in any one season. The reported activities in these items included anti-parasitic,
anti-bacterial, anti-rheumatic, neuroprotective, osteoprotective, reproductive stimulant
and wound healing, among others. While the actual medicinal benefits to macaques gained
from ingesting these plants are yet unknown, based on the available evidence for their
parasite infection ecology, reproductive behavior and possible stress reduction, we
hypothesize on the possible scope of self-medication in Tibetan macaques, and suggest
future avenues for research.
